Game review: Saros (PS5)

Housemarque has been a developer that has quietly made a name for itself by making many of PlayStation's underrated gems. I first heard of the developer in 2013 when it released Resogun as a PS4 launch title. 

Many people may know Housemarque as the developer of 2021's Returnal for the PS5. Returnal is a third-person shooter with roguelike elements, and it's considered challenging for gamers not used to this genre. 

Instead of making the obvious choice and releasing Returnal 2, Housemarque has made a similar type of game called Saros five years later. Saros, much like Returnal, is still a fast-paced third-person shooter with roguelike features, though it also includes gameplay elements that make the experience less forgiving. 

Before I talk about the gameplay, Saros, let's talk about the story and setting. In this game, you assume the role of Arjun Devraj, played by Rahul Kohli. Devraj is part of a team called Echelon IV, and they have been sent to investigate a planet called Carcosa. 

Without giving too many spoilers away, Devraj is on a mission to find someone near and dear to him, but it's not going to be an easy task for him because Carcosa is full of secrets as well as monstrous enemies. 

One of the best parts of Saros' presentation is that this game runs at a solid 60fps at all times. During my playthrough of the game, I did not notice any major framerate drops, even when the screen was full of enemies and projectiles flying all over the screen. 

It does not matter if you own a base PS5 or a PS5 Pro; the graphics and gameplay performance are immaculate. Not to mention, the character models and facial animation are top-notch, much like many other first-party PlayStation games on PS5. 

As for the gameplay, Saros is a very fast-paced third-person shooter that doesn't have any slow or boring moments. Many gamers might be used to soulslikes, which have a stamina bar that slows down the gameplay, but in Saros, the stamina bar is removed, so you can shoot and move as much as you want. 

Another cool thing about Saros is that you don't have to worry about conserving ammo as you do in a Resident Evil game. The game has infinite ammo for its weapons, so you can shoot to your heart's content. Shooting is obviously very important because every enemy has a life bar, while bosses have multiple huge life bars you have to get rid of!

In the first biome of this game, Devraj has access to lots of weapons, although he can only wield one at a time. The first biome includes several types of pistols as well as assault rifles with different ammo and firing capacity. 

During your journey through a level, you can approach monoliths that allow you to grab more powerful weapons and upgrades. Next to each weapon is a number that shows how powerful it is. The higher it is, the more powerful it is against enemies. 

Sometimes you will come across locked monoliths that come with better weapons or upgrades. In order to gain access to these, you will have to find Soltari keys to open them. It pays to survive and look every inch of a level because you need to be prepared to confront the menacing and difficult bosses. 

Devraj has cool skills that make the combat against bosses not too punishing, as Returnal, in my opinion. The dash skill can be used an infinite number of times thanks to the aforementioned lack of a stamina bar. He can also conjure up a blue bubble shield that protects him against most types of projectiles. 

Since this game is a roguelike, death is inevitable but necessary. When you kill lots of enemies, you earn currency called Lucenite. Each time you die, you go back to your home base, where you can spend on permanent upgrades that improve your armour, power, and skills. 

It's pretty much a skill tree, and each run is important for you to upgrade yourself for the next run. However, there is a stopping point in the skill tree because you need to beat a boss before you can unlock more areas of it. 

Due to this, dying over and over again does not feel as annoying as it does in Returnal. However, needing to play through the level again just to face the boss can get annoying if you die lots of times. That being said, most bosses have a pattern to follow, and the projectiles are visible enough for you to dodge. 

You can also add modifiers to the game to make your experience easier or harder. For example, I added a modifier to make my weapons slightly more powerful against bosses. On the flip side of this, you can make the game harder to earn better in-game rewards. Hard modifiers can include increasing enemy speed and more. 

As much as I liked Saros, I have to stress that this is a roguelike with a steep learning curve. If you like easy games, you might want to leave this game alone. Not to mention the roguelike element of repeating levels over and over might annoy people who don't like this genre to begin with. 

Despite its difficulty, Saros is still an excellent game from Housemarque. Some people might disagree with me when I say this, but I liked Saros more than I did Returnal. This is mainly thanks to the many upgrades you can use while spending Lucenite you grab during each run. 

Verdict: 8.5/10